Playground is Google’s new browser-based game creation platform. It invites players to create and edit games with a series of prompts, then share them with friends.
The AI-powered tool is live today for players aged 18 and over in the US. Google did not provide detail on launches outside the US, but did state that access will roll out soon for those signed up to Google One, its web service and AI subscription package.
Playground users will be able to start a new game project from scratch or remix starter prompts. The browser-based games can then be shared among friends or be published to the Playground Explore community gallery so others can play on mobile or PC. Leaderboards and multiplayer is also supported for certain genres, and existing Google Play Games users can log into the service with their existing profile.
Players can rate other users’ Playground games, and Google’s algorithms will surface games it feels are “fresh, creative, and fun”. All games go through a safety screening process and can be reported if they are considered to be breaking Google’s community rules.
Google Playground will also be integrated with Unity Spark for pro-level functionality. Google said the collab enables advanced mechanics, 3D capabilities and “the flexibility of the Unity runtime.”
Unity Spark was announced today at the same time as Google Playground, and offers a similar feature set. It is currently in testing, with a closed beta coming soon. A full launch for Unity Spark is coming later this year.
Playground is described by Google as “an experimental gaming platform” that follows on from the Project Genie demos it released back in January.
Project Genie allows users to create lightly interactive game worlds with just a prompt. Its unveiling sent shares of several major gaming stocks tumbling, including Roblox, Unity and Take-Two.
Facebook owner Meta recently announced a similar set of tools under its Horizon brand. Its Horizon Create app will allow players to create games with a prompt and publish them across Facebook and Instagram. It is currently in testing, and there’s no set launch date for the app just yet.
Google-owned YouTube has also been making moves in games recently; it expanded its YouTube Playables range of simple webgames to over 50 markets.
